figures out

verb

present tense third-person singular of figure out
as in solves
to find an answer for through reasoning a book of brainteasers that even a really clever person won't have an easy time figuring out

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of figures out And Ghidorah’s heads — which look, up close, like costume figures out of a Golden Dragon Dance — emit orange lightning volts that extend for half a mile. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 27 Sep. 2026 Those things matter, but great corporate videography starts earlier, in the pre-phase, the exploratory phase, when the production team figures out what the client is really trying to accomplish. — Tavares Beverly, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026 Deborah arrives for her freshman year at her parents' HBCU alma mater and figures out how to escape their shadow while also building her own legacy. — Angela Andaloro, PEOPLE, 23 Apr. 2026 Some 1,270 counties lost residents in the year to July 1, 2025, according to Census Bureau figures out Thursday. — Augusta Saraiva, Bloomberg, 26 Mar. 2026 One of Wood’s favorite bits is his character’s reaction when Grace figures out a way to turn the game to her favor. — Brian Truitt, USA Today, 20 Mar. 2026 That could come as the economy figures out what to do with all the labor that software has eaten. — Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 13 Feb. 2026 With this approach, rather than just having police respond to an issue, the department figures out a way to try and resolve it. — David Ferrara, Cincinnati Enquirer, 24 Oct. 2025 And there are equally dangerous, thuggish government figures out there up to no good as well. — Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 10 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for figures out
  1. solves
  2. unravels
  3. answers
  4. works out
  5. resolves
Verb
  • Piping it straight to nearby buildings works beautifully in February, but solves nothing in July.
    — Moones Alamooti, The Conversation, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Today’s Theme Everyone solves crosswords differently, and there’s no specific order you’re meant to solve in; do what works best for you.
    — Sam Corbin, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of solves
Verb
  • In games, Riley Park unravels a sinister mystery around the fictional children’s television show Amanda the Adventurer after discovering a mysterious video tape in their late aunt Kate’s attic.
    — Glenn Garner, Deadline, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Unless Smith gets hurt or the season unravels enough to prompt a quarterback change, Klubnik will likely spend his rookie year learning behind the veteran.
    — Antwan Staley, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of unravels
Verb
  • When Waits sings about the woman’s raincoat and suitcase, Duke answers with a twinkling tumble of notes.
    — Al Shipley, SPIN, 9 Oct. 2026
  • Director Maya Bannick Bedward’s first feature, the documentary Black Zombie (now available on VOD), answers that question with an elegant approach to the past.
    — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 8 Oct. 2026
Definition of answers
Verb
  • The director had rather surprisingly bragged that the film features around 50 jump scares, which works out to around one every two minutes.
    — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Now, three years later, the internet creator, who goes by Brandon the Plant Guy, sells up to 5,000 plants a week, works out of a 3,000-square-foot greenhouse in Sylmar and has a staff of 13.
    — Cerys Davies, Los Angeles Times, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of works out
Verb
  • Brady emphasized that any such outcome would depend on how the court resolves the legal questions.
    — Gino Vicci, CBS News, 12 Oct. 2026
  • But neither arrangement automatically resolves an excessive workload or uncertainty about manager expectations.
    — Christos Makridis, The Conversation, 7 Oct. 2026
Definition of resolves

Browse Nearby Words

figures on
figures out
figurine
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Cite this Entry

“Figures out.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/figures%20out. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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